appetizer reinvented The
Apps are no longer only reserved as a first course. Eat them as snacks, mains or share as a late-night meal with friends.
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reparing delicious, sought-after appetizers or starters for your restaurant has never been easier, with the wide assortment of ingredients at your fingertips. But with so many possibilities and so many trends to help guide you, where should you begin? Two overriding trends in foodservice for the past few years have been the move toward healthy eating and ethnic flavours. Diners are clearly more adventurous seeking bold new flavours and ingredients, while wanting foods that are sustainable, plant based and just plain good for you. The beauty of appetizers is their versatility. While there is still a place for starters in their traditional positioning as first-course offerings, appetizers are scoring with today’s diners in different ways. While some guests may not choose to order appetizers before their entrée due to health and economic concerns, the appetizer is the perfect choice for guests who enjoy smaller portions. Looking for a snack or a little late-night something to nosh on? Try an app. They are ideal as handheld, shareable bites for guests who enjoy breaking bread, quite literally with friends. And finally, they’re perfect for
24 :: Summer 2017 :: the main ingredient
the hungry guest who can’t decide and wants to try something new and interesting, often ordering two or more to satisfy cravings and curiosity. Let’s take a look at current trends and see how to incorporate them into your app menu:
Sharing Appetizers are the perfect shareable food, especially for the late-night dining crowd, according to Technomic, mix-and-match appetizer platters with a variety of ethnic-inspired street foods, assorted finger foods and flavourful dipping sauces can encourage latenight purchases and sharing. And look for young adult guests to turn two or more appetizer offerings into a full dinner meal to share. Try Mexican taquitos, Eastern European perogies and Chinese dim sum. According to Technomic, mentions of Korean food are up 36% on Canadian appetizer menus with bold ingredients such as kimchi, bulgogi and gochujang giving starters new life. Don’t forget house-made charcuterie platters. They’re the perfect app for sharing thanks to bite-size portions and the variety of meats, cheeses and condiments on each plate.
by Kelly Putter
Do You Want Fries With That? Forget health concerns and bring on the flavour. According to Technomic, the appearance of loaded fries and poutine on appetizer menus is growing by leaps and bounds. Operators are showing their creativity by topping fries with specialty sauces, hearty meats and deep-fried candy. Spicy flavours are gaining ground with such ingredients as ghost peppers, sriracha and Tabasco sauce. Meat in many forms is also making an appearance on fries. And bear in mind that topped fries are the perfect vehicle to test a new flavour or ingredient without fully committing to a permanent menu addition. Get Your Greens Did you know salad is the second most popular appetizer on Canadian menus? Still popular starter salads are garden, house, Caesar and Caprese or tomato salads. As for salad dressings, commonly featured are Caesar, ranch, raspberry and garlic. Salads tend to appeal to consumers’ appetite for healthy food. Why not consider unique and audacious flavours in salads to also appeal to adventurous customers? Try a black bean Mexican salad with corn, peppers and cilantro or how about a spicy Thai ramen noodle salad.